Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Psalm 50

⁷ “Listen, my people, and I will speak;
    I will testify against you, Israel:
    I am God, your God.
⁸ I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices
    or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
⁹ I have no need of a bull from your stall
    or of goats from your pens,
¹⁰ for every animal of the forest is mine,
    and the cattle on a thousand hills.
¹¹ I know every bird in the mountains,
    and the insects in the fields are mine.
¹² If I were hungry I would not tell you,
    for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
¹³ Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴ “Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
    fulfill your vows to the Most High,
¹⁵ and call on me in the day of trouble;
    I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

...

²³ Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
    and to the blameless I will show my salvation. ”

In the Old Testament the Jews offered animal sacrifice and God because the animals are already his, he indicates here that he needs no sacrifice.  However it is important to remember that the animal may be valuable to people as a food source or otherwise so the offering of an animal while in an absolute sense was not necessary to God, it WAS necessary to show how people deny themselves of something.  Additionally, the Jews could have also denied themselves of something (as an expression of our love for God) through a thanks offering which is said to be something that was not promised but given in addition as an expression of thanks for how God blessed people.

With Jesus we are of course to offer ourselves instead:

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are worthy of ALL praise and You are worthy of MY praise.  You are great and awesome beyond description and You have blessed me well beyond what I deserve.  I come to You now with a humble heart, knowing I am full of anger and this is a sin.  I thank You for all that You are and what You have done but I need You once more this day (and will continue to need You every day) to forgive me for my anger.  Please purify and refine me of this sin and make me Yours.  Help me take my cross and follow You.